Personal Development & Community: Education

Why do you want to do this?

I was laid-off last year, and I'm currently enrolled in a community college program and am switching to Criminal Justice A.S degree. I'm really excited about being back in college after 17 years! The program I'm in provides very practical office skills as well as analytical thinking; hopefully, this will help me get a decent job. The program will take another 2 years. After completing this course, I then want to finish my English degree. I need about 4-6 more courses to do so.

What three things will you need to make this happen?

Financial aid. I think I'll be okay for another year, then for the last six or so classes, I'll most likely have to dig into my savings or get some kind of job and pay as I go.

Determination. I have lots of that.

What is the biggest barrier to your achieving this?

I'm worried about the math courses-I won't lie about that! For the Legal program, it's not so bad, but for the English degree, it's a bit more challenging. I want to complete my education so badly. In fact, it's the one thing I really want to achieve before I leave this Earth. I'm really hopeful that by making my goals so public, it will push me harder, keep me mentally hungry, and more fired up than I've ever been about reaching the top of the mountain. This is my second act, so to speak, and I'm really excited about it. I hope it's a good one.